Toxic Barrels:

Recycled steel drums

Most of their work is done either outside or in their open facility

Process:

• Steel drums are brought in from all over the city and suburbs in the diesel trucks and trailers
• Drums are allowed to have up to 1/8 ” of any kind of liquid in them
• Drums are placed on a conveyer belt where first they are flipped over and the liquid is dumped out into a drain (it use to be into the ground)
• They are then flipped back over and move along to flame torch that burns out the remaining residue
• The ash is sucked up by an overhead vacuum (they use to pile the ash up in a mound and let it blow away in the wind) -Community Victory-
• The drums are then re-painted and re-distributed to there customers

In going door to door in the area south of 31 st Street between Millard and Lawndale LVEJO found that many residents had concerns with Meyer Steel Drum. Those who lived right across the street had the biggest concerns however they did not want to act because they worked at the company and were worried about getting fired if they talked.

In an effort to gain there trust LVEJO staff worked with the employees first and helped them deal with there concerns in order to start dealing with the communities issues.

Employee Safety:

• In talking with community residents LVEJO came across community residents who worked at Meyer and had concerns with there safety
• They did not have protective gear when working on the assembly line
• They did not have masks to protect themselves from the ash and dust

Action:

LVEJO staff talked with the employees and got details about when they worked on the assembly line, when the company usually dumped into the ground, and who the managerial and floor staff was. Once that information was obtained LVEJO staff contacted OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administartion) and let them know about the employees situation and when the best time to go was.

Meyer Steel Drum was fined during a surprise visit by OSEA and mandated to get protective gear for all of the necessary staff.

By helping Meyers Steel Drum’s community employees we were able to get there support and involvement in tackling the communities issues with the facility

Community Issues:

Trailer Security & Parking:

• Meyer Steel Drum was parking there trailer truck containers in the abandoned lot on 31 st between Central Park & Millard
• The containers had used steel drums that had all kinds of liquids and toxins in them
• Many of the containers were unlocked and open
• Many of the communities kids would go in and play inside the containers

Pollution:

• Dust and ash residue from the assembly line was found on cars, yards and in peoples homes
• Many residents who lived within a two block radius of the company were concerned about the dust that accumulated whenever there windows were open

Emergency Plan:

• History: In the early 1990’s Meyer had a fire in the facility that caused Gary Elementary School to have an emergency evacuation and left the neighborhood scared and concerned about there health and safety
• Through a partnership with Citizens for A Better Environment LVEJO received funding to conduct a Good Neighbor Agreement with the company
• This meant Meyer would sit down with key community members, LVEJO, local school representatives and community leaders to device an emergency plan for the community

Community members were more willing to get involved and take action when they saw Meyers own community employees involved with LVEJO

However, Meyer Steel Drum did not want to sit down with the community to discuss any of these issues. They ignored phone calls, letters and meeting with key officials

Action:

With the help of the information we received in our one on one’s with the community employees and with technical assistance from LVEJO, community members were able to:

• Collect dust and ash samples when they burned the most barrels
• Take pictures of illegal dumping of the barrel liquid
• Research Meyer Steel Drums city and state environmental violations
• Research the results of there original fire
• Research the companies owners and financial standing

With this information community residents:

• Created flyers to pass out in the community highlighting Meyers pollution, environmental and health hazardous, and showing they could afford better technology
• Organized petitions in the community and school to demand testing
• Spoke at the Gary LSC Meetings to have them pressure the Board of Ed.
• Created and sent letters to the Board of Education and City of Chicago
• Hosted community meetings, rallies and protests
• Created press releases and held press conferences

Result:

1. Due to community pressure and IEPA visits, Meyer Steel Drum installed a vacuum that collects the ash on the assembly line.
2. Meyer Steel Drum sent the community an emergency plan for the committee to share with the community and school, instead of meeting with us.
3. The neighbors on 31 st & Millard called the local police precinct office and demanded that they come out and ticket the trailers on the lot. The police commander sent the company a warning letter and within a week all the trailers were off the property between 31 st and 32 nd & Millard and Central Park.